Austro-libertarian.com

I have been listening to lectures titled “Thinking about Capitalism” from The Teaching Company. There are 36 lectures and they are very good so far. I just listened to one on religious tolerance and Voltaire, whom I had never studied but found extremely fascinating. He has some very well-known quotes (e.g., “I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”) but it is only when he is placed in the European Enlightment context that he really shines and becomes more courageous. He went against many religious authorities and leaders when he advocated economic self-interest and the accumulation of wealth. He viewed religious zealots and enthusiasts as sources of discord, contrasted with the market that brought about peaceful trade–regardless of the religious background of the traders. He viewed the market as a way to spread tolerance and not conflict. His quotes and insights are simply superb. This is one of my favorites:

“Go into the Exchange in London, that place more venerable than many a court, and you will see representatives of all the nations assembled there for the profit of mankind. There the Jew, the Mahometan, and the Christian deal with one another as if they were of the same religion, and reserve the name of infidel for those who go bankrupt.”